


That’s the spirit!

by Applesith



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cute, F/M, First Kiss, Ghosts, Happy Ending, Medium - Freeform, Meet-Cute, Mystery, Paranormal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 11:39:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13680936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Applesith/pseuds/Applesith
Summary: Rey is a penniless medium employed by Senator Leia Organa to seal a deal...Ben Solo is a troubled soul...Rey has one night to discover if the house is truly haunted and if she can convince Ben life is worth living.---A paranormal meet and cute.





	That’s the spirit!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



Rey went over the contents of her bag one last time.

 _Doritos. Check_  
_Tampons. Check_  
_Emergency blanket. Check_  
_Candle. Check_  
_Lighter. Check_

The sessions always fucked with her body, leaving her craving junk food, messing with her menstrual cycle or chilling her to the bone. It didn’t scare her anymore, though; she’d grown used to the unfortunate side effects of being a medium.

Satisfied, she smiled to herself and fished out her phone to let Finn know she’d be out for the night. They’d met under the strangest circumstances a year ago, not long after Rey escaped the foster care system, and had rented an apartment together not long after. Since then, despite being so different from one another, their friendship grew stronger day by day.

Rey felt lucky to have Finn in her life. Although he didn’t understand her powers, he supported her nonetheless and sometimes acted as a bodyguard. Tonight she would be on her own though.

 

 

> I got a call from a customer. Won’t be home tonight. The address is 2187 Resistance Avenue.  
>  Send the cops if I’m not back by tomorrow! :)

With that, she pocketed her phone, took her car keys and left the apartment, which was located in one of the shoddiest parts of town.

As usual, the car door opened with a rusty screech. No doubt that her derelict Volkswagen would look out of place where she was heading. Hopefully, if the job went well, she’d have more than enough money to buy a new car pretty soon. Perhaps even something less than ten years old. Imagine the change that would be!

Before she had the chance to turn the key, a chime sounded from her pocket. Finn had texted her back.

 

 

> Roger that.  
>  Keep me informed.  
>  You know I get spooked when you do your mumbo-jumbo.  
>  Just be careful, okay?

A lopsided grin appeared at the corner of her mouth.

_Mumbo Jumbo_

Unlike many of her past acquaintances who dismissed her paranormal abilities and were happy to call her crazy and delusional, Finn meant well. Even though he had doubts, he remained supportive no matter what. A true friend.

* * *

 

Even without a GPS, it took less than thirty minutes to arrive at the destination, but to Rey, it was as if she’d crossed dimensions.

Houses in this area were ten times the size of the properties on her side of town, each of them with massive iron gates bearing the crests of wealthy families or corporations she’d only seen on TV or magazines.

_I hope someone knows I’m coming; I don’t want some militia to call the cops on me._

Bollocks! She had as much right as anybody to be in this part of the city. It would be silly to turn back now and say no to a hefty paycheck.

After all, the New Republic was a free country and being poor was not a crime -- Yet. At least, Rey hoped the people living behind those giant walls shared her values.

After a few minutes, she indicated to the right and slowed down.

_There it is. 2187._

A woman stood outside the gates and waved at the car. She may have guessed Rey’s identity because she smiled brightly and opened the gates without second thoughts, inviting her to follow the path.

_That’s trusting. She’s lucky I’m not a burglar._

The woman was short with grey hair woven into an elaborate braid that gave her a regal aura. For some reason, Rey immediately liked her.

Rey had never been interested in politics, but even she had heard of Senator Leia Organa, war hero, and social justice activist. She should have been surprised that Leia herself showed up to meet her, yet it sounded like something the eccentric politician would do. According to Wikipedia, despite being born into money, she’d always refused to be treated any differently than her fellow citizens.

Once Rey got out of her rusty car, Leia greeted her with the warmest smile.

“You must be Rey,”

“I am. Nice to meet you, Senator.”

Leia waved her hand in the air.

“No need for formalities, dear child. Call me Leia.”

_Child._

For some reason, Rey liked the sound of that.

Not afraid to show great familiarity, Leia hooked her arm under Rey’s and led the way across the garden.

“I take it that my assistant explained what I need you to do tonight?”

Rey nodded.

“She did, but not in great detail. I assume that you need me to confirm if spirits linger in the house?”

Senator Organa’s eyes twinkled.

“Pretty much. The thing is, I haven’t lived here since...” Something triggered a bitter memory, and Leia’s smile disappeared for a second, “a very long time.”

For a moment Rey considered asking what had happened to make Leia so sad. Her heart had sunk at the older woman’s reaction, and she hoped she could ease the pain in some way.

But before she could offer some reassurance, Leia changed back into the warm, open lady who had waited at the gate.

“Let me show you the house before we talk business. I was given your reference by Lor San Tekka, an old friend of my twin brother. He told me you’re one of the best.”

Rey’s mouth dropped. That was a name she hadn’t heard in ages. As far as she was concerned, the man was a bit crazy, some religious hippy who believed spirits should be set free or something like that. She’d met him once, at a Paranormal Convention, when she was trying to make sense of her abilities. He wanted to enroll her in his 'Church of the Force' sect or something like that. She’d politely declined and deliberately avoided him ever since. Knowing that he’d kept tabs on her was a little creepy.

“It’s very kind of him to remember me. We haven’t spoken in a very long time.”

“He only had praise for your talents,” Leia added while opening the front door.

The house looked nothing like the derelict buildings Rey was used to. Usually, her clients wanted to make contact with long-dead relatives to settle inheritance debates or to get rid of spooky ghosts haunting their century-old manors.

On the other hand, this was a bright, modern villa. Perhaps the wallpaper looked a bit old-fashioned, and the garden was in need of a good trim, but overall this was the lovely house of a lovely woman. What a shame it remained unoccupied.

_I could be happy here._

Leia led the way to the main living room and invited Rey to sit down by her side on an elegant couch.

“We found a buyer and everything was fine until she received an anonymous letter claiming an evil spirit lived inside the house. It’s probably just a prank but turns out our buyer is very superstitious and demanded we called in a medium.”

Leia smiled a mischievous smile.

“Do you provide certificates? Is that even a thing?” She laughed at her lack of knowledge in paranormal bureaucracy.  
  
Despite herself, Rey beamed at Leia’s warm laugh.

“I don’t usually do that kind of thing, but I can make an exception. Vellum paper? To make it look more official?”

“Ha. I must sound ungrateful,” Leia apologized. “I don’t want you to think I'm sarcastic.”

“No, it’s okay. I don’t take offense. I too believed I was crazy for the longest of time, you know.”

Those words seemed to touch Leia more than they ought. She reached out to grasp Rey’s hand affectionately.

“My child. I didn’t mean to offend you or dismiss your talents.” She paused, looking for her next words carefully. “I wish I had been more open-minded in my youth. Now that I’m an old thing, I understand that some evil things _do_ linger in the shadows.”

Leia’s grip tightened.

“Tell me, Rey. What do your parents think of your…” Like most people she seemed to stumble over the next word, therefore, Rey finished the sentence.

“Powers?”

“Yes,” the senator confirmed, a little relieved she didn’t need to find a euphemism.

“My parents died in a car crash. When I was very young.” Those words came out without emotion. “Drunk driver.” She’s gotten so used to tell the story it didn’t hurt anymore.

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry to hear that.

“It’s alright; I was too young to remember. If I’ve learned something in my line of work is that we all grieve someone or something. Sometimes we ought to let the past die.

Tears started to pool at the corner of Leia’s eyes. She wiped them swiftly with the back of her hand.

“You’re probably right, child. It’s too late for regrets. Yet, you gave me a lot to think about, thank you. I should go and leave you to your work now. We can discuss afterward. There is something else I might need your expertise on. Someone I’d like you to meet more exactly. ”

She stood up and retrieved an envelope from the drawer of a cabinet.

“Here, this is your payment. Five thousand credits. Let me know if you require more. I can have that arranged.”

Rey accepted the money without counting. She trusted Leia not to screw her over.

“Here. This is my direct line,” Leia added, placing a business card on the table. “Call me as soon as you finish.”

Finally, Leia cupped Rey’s cheeks. Her hands were warm and motherly.

“Nice meeting you, Rey.”

“Likewise, Leia. I will let you know if monsters are real.”

* * *

 

Once Leia took off, Rey flopped on the couch and closed her eyes.

_Let’s start._

The first step of any session was to connect to the spiritual realm to locate weak points in the veil. These were the doors spirits opened and closed unintentionally, trapping themselves in our world. More rarely, a nefarious spirit enters the realm willingly, looking for souls to prey on.

If such passages existed inside the house, Rey would locate them and investigate.

She took a deep breath and opened her senses, trying to detect tears in the veil holding back the dimension of spirits.

It didn’t take long to sense a perturbation in two different locations. One upstairs and one in the basement.

_A basement. Great. Why is it always in the bloody basement?_

Rey stood up and spoke out loud, hoping that whoever listened was a friendly ghost.

“Spirit, I have come to make your acquaintance. My name is Rey. I hope we can become good friends.”

Most spirits didn’t care for chit-chat, but talking to herself gave Rey the strength to investigate. And she liked to be friendly.

She stepped outside the living room to follow the corridor leading to the entrance. A grand staircase led upstairs.

“I’m going to stay here tonight and see if we can have a bit of fun, you and me. Discuss your life and death. Yeah, sorry about that. And if you want, I can help you go back to the great beyond. I’m sure you’d like that, right?”

Spirits rarely enjoyed being leashed to a painful memory, and part of Rey’s job was to make sure they found peace (and stopped frightening the living).

There was nothing Rey hated more in her line of work than horror movie style mansions where the architecture played with your nerves. Here, everything was clean and tidy as if someone still lived in the house, although white sheets covered most of the furniture and discolored squares marked the space where frames used to hang on the walls.

“I see that you’re a spirit with great taste, choosing this place. You know how many livings ones would kill to live here?”  
  
As if someone reacted to that remark, the air suddenly filled with static. The hair raised at the back of Rey’s neck, and a door shut down upstairs with a thunderous bang.

Rey jumped with surprise, not expecting such a vivid reaction.

“You’re right. That wasn’t amusing. My apologies.”

She listened carefully, trying to assess the situation. As far as she could sense, the anomaly she had detected earlier hadn’t moved.

“I’m getting closer. Don’t get spooked, spirit. I told you, I’m the good guy.”

Once she reached the second floor, Rey noticed only one bedroom with a closed door. That’s where the perturbation was strongest. Out of respect, she knocked politely before entering.

“So, this is your room? May I come in?”

No response came, but a tingling sensation at the back of her neck alerted Rey that someone or something was watching her.

The door opened smoothly, but Rey sucked in a sharp breath when a gust of wind greeted her unexpectedly. A window was open, making the thin translucent white material of the curtain flutter in the breeze.

“Okay. So, the wind closed the door. No need to panic.”

She stepped into the room. The walls were painted dark brown and beige and covered with bookcases. An expensive looking mahogany desk sat by the window. It was too small for a grown-up but too pretentious for a kid. Finally, Rey noticed a single-person bed in the corner.

Rey closed her eyes.

“Spirit, are you here?”

Once again, no response came.

“Let me close that window first, and let’s try again.”

As she approached, she heard the crack of glass shattering under her shoe. Shards from a broken photo frame covered the floor.

“Did the wind knock that over?”

Rey picked up it carefully and immediately recognized the woman in the picture, it was Leia. A man and a boy sat by her side on the elegant couch Rey had seen downstairs. The three of them were smiling. A banner behind them spelled “Happy birthday, Ben!” in colorful cut-out letters. Rey traced the figure of the boy. He looked happy, yet something sad existed in his eyes.

“What are you doing in my room?” a low voice inquired.

Taken by surprise, Rey almost dropped the frame. She turned, alarmed. In the door frame, a tall man with dark, wavy, hair and piercing brown eyes watched her like a hawk.

“Oh my, you scared me. Leia didn’t mention someone would be in the house.”

She pointed at the picture.

“Are you Ben?” She asked a little bemused. Of course, she could see the resemblance, something in the eyes and those adorable ears that were too big for this head, yet it was hard to believe that such a sweet looking boy had evolved into the mountain of manliness standing in front of her.

_Gosh, puberty works miracles sometimes._

Instead of answering her question, the man said in a deep, joyless voice. “I heard you call me. I came to see who was making all that noise.”

“Called you? No, I called a...”

She paused before she could say the word ‘spirit’ out loud. For some reason, she felt embarrassed of who and what she was at this moment. Was this guy even aware of his mum’s plans?

Rey felt the blood rush to her cheeks. It was silly, but she didn’t want him to think she was a lunatic. Why speaking to the dead so much simpler than talking with handsome living men?

Before she could add anything, Ben spoke again. “You called a spirit, here I am.”

Rey’s brow furrowed. That wasn’t the answer she expected. Perhaps she wasn’t the craziest one in the room after all.

“You don’t look like a spirit to me,” she politely remarked.

“Then, you’re a lousy medium.”

The remark shocked her. Lousy? Her? Now, as appealing as he was in his odd way, this guy was walking a thin line.

“Are you Ben?” She asked again, more firmly. If he wanted to be treated like a spirit, she would speak to him like a spirit.

“Ben is dead; I’m Kylo Ren”

“Kylo Ren,” she repeated, confused. “What is that? A name or a title?”

Something passed on his face. A mix of pain and fear she couldn’t identify.

“Both.”

Rey took a step towards him. Her senses alerted her she wasn’t in immediate danger but the man, _Ben_ , was athletic-looking, and she needed to make sure he wasn’t going to club her over the head or something. Finn wouldn’t be happy to hear she was trapped in a politician’s house with her strange son.

“If you’re a spirit, you’re bound to do as I tell you, right?”

“Unless you’re a lousy medium,” Ben deadpanned.

She ignored the remark for now.

“Show me your hands.”

“Why?” Kylo Ren asked.

“I need to inspect your spectral energy,” Rey responded without hesitation as if such a thing existed.

_Let’s hope he buys that._

Ben’s brow raised in confusion, yet he complied with her request. A mischievous smile came to her face.

_Good boy._

“Now, turn around.”

“Do you ask all spirits to do that?”

“Only the ones I find cute,” Rey replied without thinking.

Ben spun on his heels obediently. Luckily for Rey, he seemed to favor tight fits, and if she was to trust her eyes, the back pockets of his jeans hid nothing more than his well-shaped butt.

When he came face to face with her again, his cheeks were pink.

“You think I’m cute?”

“Whether or not I think you’re cute is beside the point, I’m afraid. I think that the both of us have a lot to discuss.”

* * *

 

The next two hours passed quickly. Ben or Kylo Ren has he called himself, listened more than he talked but Rey managed to extract some precious information.

“So, you haven’t spoken to your mother in nearly six years?”

“That’s right,” he responded in a detached tone Rey knew so well. It was the tone she herself employed whenever the topic of her parents’ accident came up in the conversation.

“She comes to visit,” he added. “It’s pointless because she just speaks to herself. No matter how hard she tries, she’s unable to see or sense me.”

Rey turned on the switch of a table lamp, next to the couch. Outside, the sun was about to set, and the room had gotten darker.

Why he believed he was a spirit remained a mystery. It was strange to think that this man, who sounded lucid otherwise, was under such a delusion.

“And your dad?” she asked, remembering the birthday picture.

Ben looked away.

“He left my mother, not long after I died.”

_But you’re not dead, dummy! How can I prove it to you?_

“So, what do you do all day? Just haunt that house?”  
  
“What do other spirits do? Go to the mall? Sing at karaoke bars?” he quipped.

_Deflecting again, are you? Right, I’ll come back to it later then._

“As a matter of fact, I did meet a spirit in a Karaoke bar once. The poor guy had died of embarrassment.”

Despite its lameness, the joke caught him off guard and Ben laughed heartily.

Rey saw an opportunity.

“You’re different from the spirits I have met, you know.”

“You too,” Ben replied before frowning.

_Did he just say he met spirits?_

Rey was about to ask for more details when a loud growl came from her belly. She hadn’t eaten anything all day.

“Time for snacks,” she announced while digging for the pack of Doritos in her bag.

The look on Ben’s face betrayed his inner thoughts. It didn’t take a medium to read his micro facial expressions. The poor soul was as starved as she was.

“Want some?”

“I can’t,” he replied softly.

“Why not?”

“I’m not allowed to eat that.”

“Even spirits eat,” Rey replied as if it was a natural thing to say. She needed to convince Ben he wasn’t dead, and if the prospect of munching on Doritos helped bring him back, it was worth trying.

She slid closer to him on the couch and offered the open packet.

“There. Take one.”

Ben seems tempted but something held him back. She could tell from the way his eyes darted from her face to the packet.

She smiled to encourage him. “Go on.”

Finally, he lifted his hand, ready to fish a flavored triangle out of the aluminum bag when a series of bangs erupted from the basement, and all the bulb in the table lamp popped.

“I can’t!” Ben yelled, and stormed out of the room.

* * *

 

“Ben!” Rey called, stumbling in the dark to find the switch on the wall. If she were lucky, the lights would come back. If she wasn’t, it meant that something more powerful than she had anticipated was at work.

  
Finally, her fingers found the interrupter. Her heart skipped a beat in anticipation, but nothing happened.  
She flicked the switch a few times in frustration.

_You’ve got to be kidding me!_

Luckily, Rey was equipped to deal with this kind of situation. Not all houses had power in them, and you never knew when you would meet a facetious spirit with a penchant for a Light Show. In less time than it took to find her bag, she lit up the candle she’d brought in case of emergency.

She hoped Ben wasn’t going to do something foolish. It would be her fault if he disappeared for good. She had been so busy trying to uncover the truth about his situation that she hadn’t paid any attention to the second anomaly she’d sensed earlier.

If she was correct, they were not alone in the house.

She closed her eyes and let her senses guide her through the maze of corridors. If she was right, the door leading to the basement was straight ahead.

She found said door ajar and listened. Downstairs, Ben was talking.

“I know what I have to do,” he said flatly. ”I don’t know if I have the courage to do it.”

An ominous reddish glow came from the basement. 

The old staircase leading to the basement creaked under her weight. Her fingers clasped tighter around the candle.

_Goddamnit!_

“Ben,” she called again gently. “It’s okay.”

Rey drew a breath in sharply as soon as she took in the sight of the basement. Ben was kneeling submissively in front of an altar adorned with red candles. More distressingly, a gruesome ghostly figure of the likes Rey had never seen before hovered a few feet above him.

She stole a glance around. The walls were draped with red veils giving the room the most unsettling atmosphere.

Goosebumps covered the entirety of Rey’s skin.

“Ah, here comes the child of light,” a disembodied voice announced mockingly.

In all her career, Rey had never encountered such an entity. The aura surrounded its ghostly form emanated evil energy at its purest.

“Did you think you could take away my faithful apprentice from me?” the presence asked. “Kylo Ren belongs to me. I am Snoke, and my will cannot be denied. Since I have laid my eyes on the boy, I guided him, molded him. He’s not of the living anymore.”

Ben rose up to his feet slowly; his shoulders hunched like the will to live had left his bones. In his right hand, Rey caught the glint of a blade.

Adrenaline coursed through her veins.

“What are you going to do with that, Ben?”

She turned to Snoke, shaking with rage.

“You sick twisted son of a bitch!” Rey exploded. You’re the one who convinced Ben he was dead, aren’t you?”

A cavernous laughter erupted from the ghostly figure. “Look closer, naive child. He IS as good as dead. Aren’t you boy? Dead to your parents, dead to your so-called society. Nobody wants you. You know you’re better off with me, don’t you? I’m the only one who ever CARED for you, ACCEPTED you.”

Ben looked up in her direction, his eyes filled with tears and something resembling hope.

Suddenly Ben’s delusion made sense.

She stepped closer.

“Ben, listen to me. You’re not crazy! No matter what your parents said, what names the kids at school called you, you’re not mad! I feel it too! His clutch on your heart, his grip on your head! But you can fight him, he’s not from our world, but you are!”

Snoke laughed a terrible, evil laugh that would haunt Rey’s nightmares until the end of her days. She wasn’t about to give up though.

“Ben, I understand now. Earlier, your mother, she...”

Ben flinched at the mention of Leia, giving Rey hope he’d listen to what she was about to say.

“Your mother, she started crying when we spoke. At the time, I didn’t understand, and I didn’t dare ask, but now I know. I believe she finally realized that you’re gifted like I am. I’m sure she feels she failed you because she didn’t believe the voice was real, that you could see things others can’t. That’s what happened, right?”

Ben remained silent, watching her come closer to him until he had to look down. His lips wobbled.

“Rey,” Ben replied very softly.

"If only she knew you're here with me.”

“She sent me away,” he broke down. “They said I was sick. Left me to rot in that institution.”

Still holding the knife, Ben pulled up his sleeve to reveal a pink line of scar tissue running along his left forearm. “Snoke summoned me today. To end it.”

Rey cupped his face with her hands. “Ben. You don’t have to do this. You’re not alone! I will help you. You’re just like me.”

The air filled with potent dark energy.

“Foolish child, you have nothing to offer to my boy! He wishes to take my place so he can be free from his pain, forever. In exchange, his blood will give me the power to cross dimensions and remain in your world.”

Rey looked up to where Snoke hovered. She snapped.

“Is that so? Then who tipped off Leia about the spirit in the house?”

Then her gaze turned to Ben’s again, and her expression softened. Her fingers tenderly wiped the tears that had started to streak his face.

She stood on tiptoe to come closer and whispered. “You did it, didn’t you?” You’re the one who sent the anonymous tip about the spirit in the house.”

Ben nodded ever so slightly, unable to take off his eyes from hers.

“Ben, don’t listen to him. Together we can close the veil and send him back to the void.”

The tension in Ben’s muscles dissipated, and so did his apparent fear of Snoke. Even his lips had stopped wobbling.

Something crazy crossed Rey’s mind. Perhaps it was a mistake even, but she didn’t care. Something told her to trust her gut. They were alive, and that ghastly old Snoke was not going to win.

“No! Keep away from him,” the creature shrieked.

Instead, Rey closed her eyes and leaned forward, inviting Ben to kiss her.

As their lips met, a burst of energy, like an electric current, exploded around them and something metallic fell to the floor. Ben had dropped the knife.

When she opened her eyes, Ben watched her with a mix of shock and desire etched on his face.

“This is life,” she whispered.

She took his hand. “Now, time to say goodbye,” she declared.

With Ben’s hand firmly holding hers, Rey felt indestructible. She drew on her power to open a rift in the veil, but Snoke was stronger than she had anticipated. The ground and everything in the basement started to shake.

Rage contorted Snoke’s already twisted features. “You’ll never have him,” he wailed just before lunging towards them with a raw power she’d never experienced.

The sight paralyzed the both of them with fear.

“Rey!” Ben yelled as Snoke pushed them apart and they fell onto the hard concrete. Before either of them was able to move, the spectral form of Snoke had ensnared the hilt of the blade lying on the floor.

“Stupid boy! If you refuse me, I’m going to take matters into my own hands,” he declared, flying to where Rey had landed.

“After all, I don’t need YOUR blood to attain my goal. Although, I cannot deny that your pain will feed me for years to come once I kill HER instead.”

“Rey!” Ben screamed, scrambling to his feet to try and reach Rey before it was too late.

Holding the knife above his head, Snoke prepared to strike.

“This…is… not going to go… the way you think!” Rey said between gritted teeth, and with all the might of her newfound love for the man who was her broken mirror image, she raised her open palm high in the air.

A rift opened behind Snoke.

“Stupid child!” The creature laughed.

Seizing an opportunity Ben grabbed him by the shoulders and tossed him into the opening.

“Nooooooooo!!”

Rey’s lips tightened into a cruel smile. She clenched her hand so tightly that her nails broke the skin.

At least, Snoke’s ghostly figure disappeared, sucked into the vacuum of the spirit world, never to be seen again.

“Rey, are you okay?” Ben asked, kneeling to check on her.

“Yeah,” she replied, inviting him into a tight hug. “I’m okay. Let’s get out of here; I think we have a few phone calls to make.”

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> And the moral of the story is "Come to the Light side, we have Doritos." :D  
> \--  
> I hope you enjoyed. Happy belated Valentine!


End file.
